Upper Green R. (WA): Saturday

[Jim Speaker]

I got out for about two hours on the upper Green River on Saturday.  I was on the water at 10 a.m.  There was a flurry of tiny midges over the water and I saw a couple golden stones and a few caddis about.  Hoping the fish were looking up, though seeing no rises, I started off with a small stimulator.  The dry drew no strikes in the first couple of large pockets that I normally start on.   Switched to #10 tungsten head hares ear and #16 BH FB PT and worked down to a good run where I picked up a fat and feisty 12” bow on the GRHE.  After working that run some more I worked down to my favorite bank habitat.  I busted off that rig in the structure along the bank and switched over to a #10 tungsten copper john and #18 BH FB Hares Ear.  The bank gave up another 12” bow on the GRHE that ran out of the eddy into the stiff current and gave a great fight.  Worked the bank some more before heading over to an Army Corps of Engineering log jam and worked a riffle/deep pool that always holds fish.  There I got a number of small strikes and finally managed an 8” bow from right below the riffle.  At this point I could see a number of larger fish in the depths of the pool and worked deep to pick up three good size whitefish.  I decided all the fish I saw hanging in the slow depths were probably whitefish and it was about time to go home.   The weather was absolutely beautiful and the flows were very wadable (320 I think).  I found myself realizing I really should have some sunscreen for the first time this year.  While working down through the shallows early on I spooked up a small, rather beat up looking salmon but that was the only one I saw.  There wasn’t the usual wildlife around… I was hoping to see the coyotes, heron or bald eagles that are pretty common up there.  It was nice to be in that beautiful forest with not another soul on the river for a couple hours.   -tight lines- Jim